MEPs back process that could strip Hungary of EU voting rights

A key committee in the European Parliament voted by a large majority in favor of triggering the EU's so-called Article 7 process against Hungary, which could ultimately lead to EU sanctions for failing to uphold the bloc’s core values.

MEPs from the Justice and Home Affairs Committee voted by 37 votes to 19 to back a resolution, drafted by Dutch Green MEP Judith Sargentini, which says the situation in Hungary exposes "a clear risk of a serious breach of the values referred to in Article 2 of the Treaties" and calls on the Article 7(1) procedure.

Sargentini's text highlights concerns about the independence of the judiciary, academic freedom, corruption, freedom of expression, and the rights of migrants in Hungary, among other issues.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government has been accused by critics at home and abroad of putting Hungary on the road to autocracy and reintroducing undemocratic practices. Earlier this month, the Hungarian parliament passed controversial legislation banning anyone from assisting or providing information to migrants and asylum-seekers.

The government has repeatedly dismissed such criticism as overblown and unwarranted meddling in Hungary's domestic affairs.

If the full Parliament votes in favor on Sargentini's resolution at a plenary session in September, the assembly will formally ask the Council to trigger the first of a three-step process that could lead to Hungary being stripped of its voting rights in the Council.

Although the final step of sanctions is unlikely — as all other EU member countries would have to vote in favor — a decision to begin the process could damage Hungary’s international standing.

A breakdown of Monday's vote showed that eight members of the European People's Party, the center-right grouping that includes Orbán's Fidesz party, voted in favor of Sargentini's resolution.

The EPP has been criticized for keeping Fidesz in its ranks, though many EPP members argue that this has helped the group to keep Orbán in check, temper some of his impulses and avoid a problem that could be much more serious. Orbán himself said in a recent speech that he wanted to stay in the EPP and try to reform it.

The vote could add fuel to already strained West-East relations in the EU, just days before EU leaders gather in Brussels for a European Council summit to discuss, among other topics, the sensitive issue of migration. Orbán has been among the strongest critics of EU migration policies.

Péter Szijjártó, Hungary's foreign affairs minister, played down the importance of Monday's vote. In an official statement on the ministry's website, he said Brussels was "playing to Georges Soros’ tune," while "in Hungary, we look at the interests of the Hungarian people."

Orbán has often accused Soros, an American-Hungarian businessman and philanthropist, of undermining Hungary's national interests — a charge Soros rejects.